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Floods in eastern and southern Spain: 227 dead and dispute over responsibility

Search continues for missing people as local and central governments wrangle over causes of disaster

Nov 18, 2024 16:13 41

Floods in eastern and southern Spain: 227 dead and dispute over responsibility  - 1

Death toll from devastating floods in Eastern and Southern Spain reached 227 people, the government of the autonomous region of Valencia announced, DPA reported. 13 people are still being sought, BTA quoted.

At least 219 people have died in the Valencia region, of which 218 have been identified.

Clearing up the consequences of the disaster continues in more than 80 of the most affected municipalities to the west and south of Valencia. The heavy floods were caused by the sudden filling of a dried-up riverbed, DPA notes.

Features from the Spanish radio and television company RTVE show muddy roads, flooded garages and streets inundated with sewage water. In Paiporta, south of Valencia, where dozens of people died, streets are still being drained.

Tensions between Valencia's local government and Spain's central government continue. The dispute centers on who is responsible for the disaster. Valencia's regional premier, Carlos Masson, has refused to resign and accused Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government of failing to manage the crisis.

During a hearing in Valencia's parliament last week, Masson detailed his criticisms of the central government's actions.